A Philosophicall Essay for the Reunion of the Languages | Page 2

courage enough to make them willing to
serve the world in their love and communication.
The Authors designe.

Most men being prepossest with two unjust prejudices against the
nature of the Languages, th'one, that they have not all either
resemblance or accord among them, the other, that they only depend
upon the inconstancie of chance, and the whisling toyishness of
custome, it might be thought no matter of extraordinary concernment, if
one pretended to succeed in a study of this nature by the single efforts
of the memory, without either the vivacitie of imagination, or the force
of reason being interress'd.
But being not very well perswaded of the agreeableness of this method,
in direct opposition to it, I have fastn'd the whole designe in hand upon
these two propositions:
First, that there is a certain accord between the Severall Languages:
and that therefore they are attainable by comparison.
Secondly, they are unquestionably founded upon reason, and therefore
that must be made use of in their mutuall reference. It is upon these two
foundations that I pretend to establish the true method of gaining a
mastery of the Languages, making it appear to the world by a sensible
experience that the mind can as easily make reflections upon words, as
upon the things they represent: Imagination and Reason being the two
faculties, that can reflect upon their objects, they both will appear in the
present designe in their uses suitable to their nature, the effects of
Imagination shall be visible in the severall resemblances, and the
inferences that are thence made; and it will be the worke of Reason to
reduce all to certain principles, upon which the argumentative part must
relye.
The first part of the Designe.
For the easier exercise of Imagination, I shall acquaint you with a
method that will appeare very naturall, by which insteed of considering
the Languages precisely in themselves (as hitherto hath been usuall)
they may be compar'd one with the other without much difficultie, and
at the same time their accord, dependance, and mutuall relation,
discover'd either from the resemblance of words, the proportion of their
scope or compasse, and the conformity of their expressions. Tis true

that this agreement, and relation is not a little obscur'd by the severall
od constitutions of mens minds, that checque at, and satisfie themselves
with the first, and naked appearance without any farther inquirie, but
withall its presently, and easily perceiv'd by those who are happy
enough, in a genius for such kind of Learning. Its something like the
paradoxes Geometry proposeth upon the relation, and proportion of
figures, where we are mus'd at the first draught, and there appeares so
little likelihood in them that the unexperienc't would take them only for
the tricks and whims of a melancholique brain; whereas an ingenuous
Artist, from the most naturall, and simple notions gradually conducts
the mind to a kind of insensible discovery of truth, and makes it see on
a suddain what it could not expect, and that with such open assurances
as quit that from all suspicion, which but now had scarce any face of
truth.
Knowing no other method then this, that may be proper to make new
discoveries in the sciences I endeavour'd to make what use I could of it,
so farr as my subject permitted; And since amidst the severall
resemblances of the Languages, there are some so evident, as
necessarily grance upon the most unobserving eye, I have so order'd my
reflections, that by a reference to these, as models, I might by degrees
arrive at the knowledge of the others, which although reserv'd, and
sometimes more distanc't, yet are neither less certain, nor reall: not
unlike the subalternate conclusions in speculation, which are not a jot
the lesse true for being farther remov'd from their first principle.
Thus tis that a Language with which we are already acquainted, either
by the assistance of Art, or Conversation, leads us to an intimacy with
those that were altogether unknown to us before, and that their relation
redresseth the treachery of the memory in the close and juncture of one
with the other.
But that I may compasse this my designe with lesse trouble, my
greatest care is to make choise of one Language as a rule to measure by,
and a principle to reduce all the rest too: for to pretend to compare them
immediately one with another, as some would have it, is to cherish
confusion among those things that demand the most of order.

The veneration that I have alwayes had for antiquity, made me think at
first of ingaging for the Hebrew, as being (for ought we know) the
earliest, the most noble, and most naturall Language of the world and
that from which all others, in a manner, derive